Lettuce is one of those “have to” plants in any organic vegetable garden.
This video not only tells you how to harvest lettuce to get much more, it also tells you WHEN to plant lettuce and WHAT types of lettuce are the easiest to grow.
Watch the video now and enjoy!
Source: Grow Organic Peaceful Valley
Image Source: Same as Above
Here are 6 ways to get rid of weeds in an organic manner.
O – did he say some weeds are actually “good weeds’.
Watch the video to find out more …
Source: Phil Nauta from Smiling Gardener
Image Source: Same as above
We all spend hours watching stuff.
But then, sometimes, you watch something that just grabs your attention, and inspires you you to take action.
The following video shows how Alex transforms his backyard from, well, emptiness, to something spectacular.
Watch how he uses less water, less energy and yield many times more veggies. Share your ideas …
Source: Video by Allex Perrillo
Image Source: Same as above
Yes, most meals can be prepared with only the most basic spices but adding herbs like Basil, and the meal transforms into a feast.
That is why no garden should be without this king of the herbs.
The article below covers the basics, from growing, harvesting to preserving.
Read, Enjoy and share …
Basil is a native of Africa and other tropical areas of Asia where it has been cultivated for over 5,000 years. It is a culinary herb that sends cooks into poetic rapture. It is probably the favorite of the “sweet” herbs and well known from its use in Mediterranean cuisine. It has a spicy bite when eaten fresh.
Harvesting Basil
For basil harvest, the key is to harvest before the basil gets too woody. You can get multiple harvests from each plant. Cut each stem back to the last 4 leaves. Give each plant a good dose of fish emulsion to support quick leaf regrowth.
Preserving Basil
You can freeze, dry, make basil into pesto, basil butter, basil vinegar, or basil oil.
For freezing, you can freeze chopped leaves into ice cubes to be able to pop into sauces. You can also blanch and freeze. If you don’t blanch, the frozen herb does not keep its color or flavor. Blanching is simply throwing the herb leaves in a pot of boiling water for about 30 seconds and then quickly plunge them into a bowl or sink of ice water. Dry the leaves then I then put the leaves on a cookie sheet, place in the freezer and when frozen, remove and put in quart freezer bags. Now you can have fresh basil anytime you need it!
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Pesto is a mixture of fresh basil, traditionally pine nuts (but I use any kind of nut I have on hand-walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, cashews), parmesan cheese, a few cloves of garlic, and olive oil. You can add spinach or parsley. Just throw them all together in a food processor and ta-da pesto!
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For basil butter, chop the basil and mix 1 Tbl, or to taste, into softened butter.
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Lots of options!
Basil turns black when temps get close to freezing. Be sure to harvest all leaves when it looks like you are getting a frost. …………
Growing Basil
Basil is easy to grow. It loves warmth and melts when temps get even close to freezing. The only watch out is too much water. You’ll get the best flavor when you are stingy with water.
They don’t require much in the way of fertilizer. Just fertilize at planting and once/month. A good organic choice is blood meal. Nitrogen encourages green growth which is what you are after when it comes to basil.
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More can be found at:
Source: Posted by Melodie Metje in Mother Earth News
Image Source: The image is from the same article
This video puts the fence line between neighbors to good use.
It illustrates that the organic gardening could be practiced in the smallest of spaces.
Find out how he waters his plants …
Watch the video and share with your neighbor!
Source: Video by John from growingyourgreens
“I like it when a plan comes together”.
This is what you will say once you have completed your raised vegetable beds.
With a little bit of preparation, the right tools and material, this does not need to take long.
Watch this short video to get inspired! Listen carefully what she says about “Exterior Screws”.
Source: YouTube cannel of DigTheDirtTV
Organic gardening can indeed be an activity for the whole family.
In this video, Scott shows his daughter how to turn egg boxes into mini greenhouses!
And also – how do you get the seeds to grow a lot quicker …
Watch the video and share your gardening tips.
Organic gardening is within reach for most people.
Gardening can create a special time for families to get together and enjoy each others company whilst being active.
Like most things in life, starting is the hardest. Questions like: What plants should I consider, OR, How do I prepare the ground, can stop many people from ever starting.
The following article has seven very helpful tips. Read it and let us know if you have tips of your own to share.
Try Your Hand At Organic Gardening, Is Fun And Healthy
You do not have to grow an Organic garden exactly like a professional to fully enjoy it. You can grow a garden your way, just as long as it employs the basics of Organic gardening that can actually help your plants grow.
Below are some tips, they will be very helpful, as follows;
1. Protect your seeds from fungus with natural products. You can use milled sphagnum moss to protect all your plants. ………..
2. Keep plastic bags on hand to cover your muddy shoes. ………………..
3. Blend flowering fruit shrubs into your regular landscape. …………….
4. Use compost and Bio-char to feed your crops. In Organic gardening, compost is necessary for the survival of your plants. ……………
5. Avoid chemicals in your garden. Keep the toxins out of the food and the water supply. …………..
6. A quick way to create a perennial garden is by cutting under the turf using a spade, turning it upside down, and covering the area with 3 – 5 ins of wood chips. …………….
7. Plant synergistically. To naturally repel pests, plant marigolds near nematode-sensitive crops like tomatoes and potatoes. To improve growth, plant legumes near plants that can benefit from the nitrogen they produce. Intersperse pungent plants like herbs and onions, whose scent can repel bugs and animals, with other unscented vegetables.
Organic gardening is harder than relying on chemicals, but the results are worth it…………..
Grow organic, Eat healthy, Be healthy.
Weed is any gardeners nightmare but Bindweed is in a league of its own.
With seeds that can remain viable for up to 50 years, today’s seeds may well outlive many gardeners.
The big question is: Can this weed be treated organically or not.
Read the article for one perspective and share yours.
Like most gardeners I have a strong dislike for weeds. They create more work and rob our plants of much-needed nutrients and water. But like many things in life not all weeds are created equally. By that I mean some weeds tend to be more of a pain in the backside than others. Some weeds are easy to eradicate while others are next to impossible.
One of the worst to deal with is field bindweed.
Field bindweed produces an almost delicate looking vine with arrow or shield-shaped leaves. It can be seen vining along the ground in gardens or the lawns. It can also be seen winding its way up fences and your favorite plant. Sometimes it is almost hidden until it burst into flowers. Bindweed has trumpet-like flowers that bloom in pink or white, resembling that of a small morning glory.
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Bindweed can form tangled mats, run along the ground, twist and twine around other plants, plus climb up and over all kinds of things. Each plant can produce up to 500 seeds that remain viable for 50 years But, bindweed’s real strength is underground, where the vine’s roots grow deep while also extending out far enough to reach from one landscape into neighbors’ yards. A break in or bud on those lateral roots can produce another plant.
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This isn’t a weed you can control by hand-pulling unless you’re willing to devote years or your entire life to the task. Trying to hoe it up simply helps bindweed spread.
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Source: Read the full article from Dennis Patton in The Kansas City Star
Gardening is both relaxing and rewarding.
But when there is no crop, frustration creeps in and many gardeners start to wonder if it is all worth while.
Fortunately, some people make it their business to find answers to these dilemmas.
Read the article below to find out which popular plant is one of the most difficult to manage and also how to manage it.
Boy has it been dry lately! With summer temps reaching well above 90 degrees and the rain being scattered, there are a lot of gardens in Alabama that are taking a beating.
The number of calls over the last few weeks have really gone up, mostly about problems in the vegetable department, tomatoes always being the “problem child” in the home garden.
When summer temperatures start rising, so does the stress on plants, so proper watering is critical to reduce the overall strain on plants.
As I commonly tell my callers, healthy plants are happy plants and happy plants make happy gardeners!
So, how much water is enough water? The best answer is “That depends”. …………..
Tomatoes are most likely the pickiest of plants in the vegetable garden when it comes to water. Too much water and you will have a great big lush tomato plant with no fruit. Too little water and you will have a wilted and dried stick that once resembled a tomato plant. As I mentioned before, managing the water, or more specifically the soil moisture is key to producing the best tomatoes. ……………
So, how can you maintain moisture around the plants in the garden? The best solution is to use an organic mulch. Mulching in the vegetable garden is beneficial in more ways that I will tell in this article, but disease management, weed control and maintaining moisture are the big three that I will mention. …………….
Source: Read the full article “Garden Talk” is written by Hunter McBrayer, Urban Regional Extension Agent, of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) here
Image Source: The image is from the same article
